‘But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!…’
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn Nathan is once again taking us Tough Travelling. This week we will be paying special attention to : NEW BEGINNINGS
A new leaf, a new life, a complete change of pace for a character in fantasyland is how most stories start. Bad people get a second chance, farm kids leave the farm, or a soldier gets a new post. From there adventure awaits!
Grim from Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier. At the start of the story Blackthorn, wrongly imprisoned, escapes prison with one of her fellow prisoners – Grim. This is a great book and all about new beginnings.
Ellie from The Legend of Ellie Quinn by Alex Scarrow – Ellie is a young girl, working on a dusty colonial farm, but she has ideas and she wants to travel and see the neon lights of the city – little does she know that she has a great destiny ahead of her.
Vin from Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. At the start of the story Vin is a street urchin, part of a gang of thieves until Kelsier realises her potential and takes her away to train in allomancy and kick start her new life.
James DiGriz from The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison. At the start of the first book in the series DiGriz is finally caught pulling a con – his punishment is to work for a crime solving organisation called the Special Corps. This is definitely a new beginning and a different use of his talents.
Roen Tan from The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu- this is probably a bit of a strange choice but Roen definitely goes down a different path to the one on which he starts the book on and changes his life dramatically – not into something quieter, for sure, but definitely different.
Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. Another unusual choice perhaps – Ebenezer doesn’t change until the end of the book. He spends his life as a miserly, curmudgeonly old sod with no friends – a visitation from three spirits are set to change all that.
Fly my pretties, fly!
Flying Monkeys
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn Nathan is once again guiding us through the tropes of fantasy in Touch Travels. This week the topic for discussion is:
FLYING RIDES
Because honestly? Horses just got boring. (Thanks to author Anne Leonard for the suggestion).
Surely, surely I’ve read a book with a winged horse – if I have, well, it’s escaped me! Here are this week’s choices:
Eagles – giant eagles – LoTR by Tolkin. Why on earth would you walk all the way to Mordor when you could fly – that would have been a ridiculously short book though!
Bats – huge bats (that talk). Smilers Fair by Rebecca Levine. 
Dragons – Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey – the clue is in the title! The dragonriders and the dragons share a special bond – and they’re capable of much more than just flight!
Wyverns – The Iron Ghost by Jen Williams – the Narhl people ride on Wyverns – which is actually pretty cool!
‘I think he may let you ride him now’
Buckbeak from the Prisoner of Azkaban by J K Rowling
Join us next week for ‘New Beginnings’
I’ll be back… (and he really meant it!)
22 July 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fantasy Review Barn, Middle Age Heroes, Tough Travelling
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn Nathan is taking us Tough Travelling through the tropes of fantasy and this week we are looking at : MIDDLE AGE HEROES
This hero stuff is usually a young person’s game. And, occasionally, a grizzled old veteran can get involved. It is a true rarity for someone to join the good fight for Fantasyland living in that in between ground.
Dug from Age of Iron by Angus Watson. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thoroughly. And, Due was one of the main reasons why. He’s no longer a spring chicken and he tends to groan a little bit – yes, his bones ache every now and again, he’s sometimes a bit selfish and old enough to have forgotten how to woo a woman. Middle aged he may be but he’s still a hero.
Brodar Kayne from The Grim Company by Luke Scull – Broadar is one of one two Highlanders on the run from the Higlands magelord. He’s a tough old dude with creaky knees and a filthy mouth – but don’t underestimate him. He’s tougher than leather and very entertaining.
Roen Tan from The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu – even as early as book 1 Roen was one of the most unlikely heroes ever. His character grew throughout the series and he was one of my favourite characters of the year.
Eddard Stark from Game of Thrones by GRRMartin. He’s a bit middle aged and grizzly but I thought he was a great character.
Dalinar Kholin from Way of Kings and Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. A great character – definitely middle aged but a man of his word who earns great respect from all those around – and what a hero!
Join us next week for ‘Flying Rides’.
I couldn’t resist adding this picture:
As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary – Ernest Hemingway
‘There is a fell voice on the air. It’s Saruman!’
16 July 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Extreme weather, Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling
The Pass of Caradhras – Lord of the Rings
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn we are once again on our travels through the tropes of fantasy guided ably by our fearless leader Nathan. The topic this Thursday is:
EXTREME CLIMATES
Perhaps the handsome prince lives in a castle surrounded by green countryside and sunny days. The rest of the land is forced to deal with freezing cold, searing heat, and every other extreme climate mother nature can throw at you.
- Seven Forges by James A Moore – the Seven Forges is a large, previously unexplored mountain range. The country is barren and the weather is fierce and cold and inhabited by massive and savage creatures.
- Storm Glass by Maria Snyder – in which a magician called Opal is sent to help the Stormclan – people who tame the raging sea storms using glass orbs
- Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson – a planet swept by the most fantastic storms!
- Lord of the Rings – Mount Doom! Don’t really need to say more!
Tis all for me this week – although can we just end with:
‘Do you copy? Shut down all the garbage smashers on the detention level!’
9 July 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fantasy Review Barn, Otherworldly Creatures, Tough Travelling
Being smashed by the garbage smasher is only one of the worries…
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn we are once again tough travelling with Nathan. Our topic this week is:
Otherworldly Creatures (Tentacles preferred)
Just for Tiara, this topic explains itself. Creatures not of our world or even our plain of existence, perhaps living in another dimension. Preferably, though not required, with tentacles. Or really anything with tentacles can be considered weird enough to be otherworldly.
American Elsewhere by Robert J Bennett – here be tentacles. In the quiet town of Wink time almost seems to stand still. The residents seem to live an idyllic life with perfectly manicured lawns and lifestyles – it’s so perfect it’s positively Stepford(ish). Except maybe everything isn’t as rosy as it seems. You’ll never find this place on a map. On top of that it seems that strange creatures have come to stay in wink. How did they get here. What exactly are they. They take strange shapes – there will 
be horror – and tentacles!
City of Stairs by Robert J Bennett – the monster that isn’t really a monster – the one that Shara unwittingly releases into the world and the very same monster that Sigrud gets buck naked to tackle. Yes, there were tentacles – and lots of teeth.
Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore – the clue for this one is in the title of course! The Serpent of Venice is a strange mash up of Shakespeare and Poe in which a strange creature lurks in the canals of Venice. I couldn’t possibly say more!
Resistance is Futile by Jenny Colgan – in which a bunch of nerdy mathematicians try to work out if there is a meaning in a long sequence of numbers that has been transmitted to earth. Involves aliens – which are definitely otherworldly.
Hexed by Michael Alan Nelson – this may seem like a strange choice – there are definitely no tentacles but there is a strange and sinister demi goddess otherwise known as the ‘Keeper of Secrets’ who lives in another dimension.
‘Do not disturb the water…’
The Watcher in the water from LotR – it has tentacles!!
Books and travelling with Lynn 